Time to Sleep--a TF G1 Story
by BBPRIMEFAN101
Summary: It is late at night of the day Lily received her Autobot body, but she is having trouble getting to sleep. It's big papa Optimus to the rescue. Takes place after the events of TF G1 Season 2 episode 1: Autobot Spike, in an AU.


" **Time to Sleep"—a TF G1 Story**

 **Summary: It is late at night of the day Lily received her Autobot body, but she is having trouble getting to sleep. It's big papa Optimus to the rescue. Takes place after the events of TF G1 Season 2 episode 1: Autobot Spike, in an AU.**

 **TF G1 © Hasbro**

 **Lily © Me**

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 **~Time to Sleep~**

A rather eventful day had just occurred with the Autobots and their human friends. First Sparkplug nearly destroyed the Ark with his Autobot X creation; the Decepticons ruined the rocket launch at the Air Force base; Bumblebee brought along Spike and Lily, and all three were badly wounded as the Decepticons made their escape; both children were given Autobot bodies so they could survive—but only Spike was promised that he would return to his normal body. Lily's situation was permanent. Then, the two freak out over the sudden change and flee, nearly brainwashed by Megatron's twisted words, and almost annihilated the Autobots with their powerful bodies. However, they managed to return to the good side and returned home. Spike was safely returned to his repaired body, then he and his father headed home so he could get more rest.

Now the sun had set a few hours prior, and it was time for the Autobots to turn in for the night. They had their late night refueling, signed out to their leader, Optimus Prime, returned to their private quarters, and went into recharge. Optimus, being leader of the Autobots, had to be the last of them to turn in; he needed to make sure everything was in tip-top shape. He triple-checked to make sure Teletraan-1's security system was fully functional and activated in case Megatron decided to make a midnight assault. Although he would stay online for days to keep his friends safe, he was longing for the comfort of his recharging berth.

Confirming that everything was perfect, Optimus yawned and rubbed his optics. He headed for his quarters, where he had hoped to find its current occupant asleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"Lily, what are you doing up?" Optimus asked. "You should have been asleep hours ago." Autobot Lily was sitting upright on his berth, hugging her knees loosely with a confused, exhausted, and nervous look on her face. She didn't even bother to look up at him as he entered. This worried Optimus, and he went to sit next to her. "Did you have a bad dream?" Lily shook her head. "Well, what is the matter? You must get some rest. We've all had a crazy day today."

Lily sighed. "I know, Papa," she muttered. She had started calling him that earlier that day, upon discovering the link they shared through their sparks. Optimus and his teammates were a bit puzzled about it, but he was willing to take on the father figure for Lily if it meant providing her comfort, especially since he felt responsible for what happened to her and Spike.

"So, why are you still awake? You need to recharge."

"But…I-I'm kind of scared to."

"Scared to recharge?" Optimus repeated. "What's so scary about it?"

"Because I don't know what it's like!" Lily said. "I don't know if it's like human sleeping or when you shut down a computer. I don't want to feel like a powered down machine…"

Optimus sighed softly. Lily was still adjusting to the major shift from being human to becoming an Autobot in just a few hours, and all because of that accident. He knew it was going to take her a long time to get used to it, and he vowed that he and his Autobots would help her however they could with whatever problem she had. However, Optimus was no Ratchet; he couldn't easily explain things the way their medic did, and he also knew it wasn't wise to wake such a cranky bot while he was resting. Even Optimus Prime has been a victim of Ratchet's wrench of punishment. But for Lily, he'd make a fool of himself by acting out what needed to be done. He soon saw she looked ready to cry and was quick to pull her into a gentle embrace.

"It's okay, Lily," he told her, running his hand slowly up and down her back. "I understand this is new for you. True, the way we sleep isn't the same as how humans sleep, but in some ways, it is."

Lily sniffled. "L-Like how…?"

"Well…how do I explain this? I guess it would be similar to putting a computer into sleep mode. It does power down, but when you power it up again, it picks up where you left off. I suppose when you enter recharge, it's similar to humans entering deep sleep. We Autobots often dream, but not much. Another way it's similar is how Ironhide snores so obnoxiously."

Not even Optimus's joke seemed to ease Lily; instead, she appeared more upset. "But I don't wanna sleep like a computer…!" she whimpered, lubricant flooding her frightened optics. "It sounds too scary, Papa!"

"Don't cry, Lily," the Prime said and petted her head. He sighed to himself; how else could he help her relax so that she would automatically slip into recharge? "Would it help if I told you a story?" he suggested.

"S-Story…?" Lily repeated with a sniff.

"Of course. I believe it will help you settle down enough to where your body submits you automatically into recharge. It's the closest thing to how humans sleep." Lily still acted uneasy about it all, but she trusted Optimus and his word more than anyone. She leaned against his chest, lightly nuzzling. "I want a story…"

Optimus chuckled. "I thought so," he said and had her lay down next to him on his berth, letting out a long yawn. "I am sleepy, too. Maybe a story will do us both some good." Lily managed a meek giggle as she wormed into a comfortable position, snuggling against Optimus for warmth. "Alright, would you like a real story or a made up one?"

Lily normally would want a made up story and have it be about fairies or magic, but this time she was a little curious to see what real story Optimus had to offer. "I wanna real one, please," she whispered.

"A real story. Very well," he said. "How about I tell you about the time Wheeljack nearly blew up half of Cybertron? It's a pretty funny story."

"He did…?" Lily asked.

"He sure did. See, it happened during the battle on the outskirts of Kaon. Wheeljack was building a device that would shut down the Decepticons' security so we would be able to enter the city undetected. But you know Wheeljack, he always has some sort of explosive nearby. And the problem was, he had confused the device with a new bomb he had invented because they were built similarly."

"Uh oh…" Lily yawned.

Optimus chuckled lightly. "Yes, uh oh, indeed, Lily. When he realized his mistake, he knew he had to disarm the bomb before it took out half of Cybertron; it had enough power to do that. We had no choice but to invade the city in order to get it back. We were successful, but by a micro-second. Ratchet sure gave him a scolding afterward." He and Lily laughed a little. "Well, did that help you any, Lily?"

Lily's smile vanished and she shook her head, whining softly. Optimus sighed, feeling a little disappointed in himself. He had hoped the story would help her sleep; perhaps he should have told a made up story. "I'm sorry, Lily," he said. "I wish there was something more I can do."

Lily sniffled. "I-It's okay…maybe I just…won't sleep at all, ever…"

Optimus Prime could feel her sadness through their bond, and it made him feel even worse; but it also made him more determined to not give up. "Well, maybe there is one last thing I could try," he said, a hint of playfulness etched in his voice.

Lily wiped her optics and glanced up at him. "W-What?"

"This. C'mere, you little munchkin!" Optimus pulled her into his lap and started to tickle her. Her giggles turned into bubbly laughter as she wriggled helplessly in his grasp. Instantly he could feel her sadness be replaced with joy as he tickled her sides and abdominal plating. "I've got you now," he cooed playfully.

"Papa, stop!" Lily squeaked as she thrashed and kicked while laughing. In order to get free, she knew she had to try and fight back; she then flung her hands out to whatever she could reach and wiggled her fingers.

Optimus jolted as he felt her tiny fingers tickle his sides, and he started to laugh as well. "Hey, you little monkey! I'm supposed to be making _you_ sleepy!"

"Well, now it's my turn to play tickle monster," Lily giggled as she continued. "Take this!"

Their tickling fun lasted about ten minutes before the both of them were exhausted and yawning every ten seconds or so. Looking down at the weary little Autobot child on his chest, Optimus could tell she was _so_ very tired; she just needed one more little push to slip into automatic recharge. He then began sending warm, comforting impulses through their bond to help her further relax. He could feel her start to sink into the recharge, but then she would jolt awake again, frightened.

"Don't fight it, Lily," he yawned. "Let it wash over you. You'll be in recharge before you know it. I promise it will be alright. I am right here with you, and I will still be here when you wake up."

Lily was still afraid of what it would be like to sleep like an Autobot, but she knew she could count on Optimus. And she could not fight off the urge to sleep for much longer. She soon completely relaxed, and let herself slip into recharge.

Optimus felt through their bond that she was sound asleep and smiled. "Good night, Lily," he yawned and shifted into a more comfortable position on his berth, holding Lily close to his spark, and also falling into recharge.

Since then, Lily was not afraid to fall asleep at night ever again.

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 **A/N: I know it's been a while since I wrote a G1 story XD well, I hope you guys enjoy it ^^**


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